by Anna Jacobs
Miranda came to join him half an hour later, running lightly up the stairs, a physical ability of which he was now deeply envious. He banished that thought firmly. It wasn’t her fault he was a damned cripple.
‘Do you want to join my sister and me for coffee, Lou, or shall I bring you one up?’
‘I’ll join you.’ He gestured to the notes by the phone. ‘Someone’s coming round tomorrow morning from a domestic employment agency to suss out this place and advise us on what staff we need. The main thing for me is a full-time manservant.’
‘Don’t waste your money on other staff. If we don’t use all the rooms, I can easily manage with a daily help.’
‘No, you can’t. You’ll be too busy keeping me company. I’m not wasting my precious time waiting for you to mop floors.’ He beamed at her as he rolled his wheelchair into the lift. ‘We were lucky to find this place, weren’t we? Life is so much easier with a private lift.’
His happiness banished her fears. ‘The house is gorgeous. I can’t believe I’m going to be living here. Regina is jealous.’
‘Sebastian will be too.’
She sighed, losing the bright edge to her happiness at the thought of her half-brother.
‘You have to face him soon.’ He chuckled. ‘And you should enjoy his jealousy. I shall.’
That evening, at Lou’s prompting, Miranda gathered together her courage and contacted her brother, working on the principle that it was better to get it over with than have it looming and disturbing her sleep. She put the phone on loudspeaker so that Lou could listen in.
‘It’s taken you long enough to return my calls,’ Sebastian grumbled by way of a greeting.
‘We were busy.’ She heard him start to say something and quickly spoke over him before she could weaken. ‘I just wanted to tell you that I’ve moved in with Lou. This is my new phone number.’
‘Just a minute. I need to write that down. What’s the address?’
This was the moment she’d been dreading, but to her relief she managed to say it steadily.
There was dead silence from the other end, then, ‘That street overlooks the river.’
He sounded indignant. How mean-spirited was that? ‘Yes, it has great views.’
‘What about your flat?’
‘I’m going to let this house.’
‘I’m not sure you can do that. And if anyone’s going to let it, it should be the trust.’
You might have known he’d be like that, she thought despairingly. Why did he always have to make difficulties? ‘I’ll add it to the things to ask Sally about, then.’
‘I suppose you were intending to keep the rent money, too.’
‘Of course. I thought the flat was mine to do with as I pleased.’ She heard how faint her voice was and told herself to speak more firmly.
‘Well, if you keep the rent money you won’t need as much income from the trust.’
‘Yes I will. I’m going to have a lot of expenses. Clothes for a start. Lou goes to some very smart places and Father was mean about such things. My clothes are old-fashioned and frumpy. You’ve been making fun of them for years. Did it never occur to you that I wanted better clothes?’
She waited but he made no comment on that, only sighed as if exasperated that she’d even mentioned it, so she said, ‘I have to go now. Lou’s getting tired.’
‘Min—’
But she cut him off because she’d pushed herself to her limits. She set the phone gently in its cradle, then buried her face in her hands.
Lou’s voice came from close by and she looked up to see that he’d moved across the room. When he held out his hand she took it.
‘You did well, Miranda, far better than I’d expected. Has he always been so tight-fisted and grasping?’
‘He was much worse as a boy.’ He’d hit, pinched and even kicked her when she refused to do as he wished, but she wasn’t going to tell Lou that. ‘And Father always believed him, not me.’
‘One day, you’re going to tell me the whole tale,’ he said quietly. ‘But I think you’ve had enough for tonight. You did well.’ He grimaced. ‘Go and sort us out a bottle of wine. We deserve it. I’m going to ring Hilary and get that over with, too. I told her I was going in for some tests, but she’ll be expecting to come round tomorrow, as usual.’
He picked up the phone. ‘Ah, Hilary. Yes, I’m well, thank you . . . No, I wasn’t in for tests, actually, I was moving house.’ He held the phone away from his ear.
To Miranda, it sounded as if someone had speeded up a recording. She might not be able to distinguish one word from another, but the shrill anger came through loud and clear.
She listened as he gave his niece the address. That generated another burst of staccato noises.
He listened for a while, then cut his niece short. ‘Look, come round tomorrow, by all means, but don’t bring me any more food. I have a full-time housekeeper now.’
When he put the phone down he rolled his eyes. ‘I’m sure you heard that. She gets very shrill when she’s annoyed. And look, whatever she says don’t let her upset you tomorrow.’
‘Do you want me to meet her?’
‘Of course I do. This is your home as well.’ He gave her one of his mischievous looks. ‘I’ve one more call to make.’
She listened again as Lou rang Sally at home to ask how Miranda stood legally about letting her flat.
He chuckled at her response and put the phone down.
‘What did she say? Did she mind you ringing her at home?’
‘Of course not. If she had a business query she’d ring me any time too.’ He chuckled. ‘Give me that glass of wine.’
But he spilled some as he shook with laughter, trying and failing to get the words out to explain what was amusing him.
She waited patiently.
‘Sally says not to quote her, but it’d be really bad for your brother’s reputation if it got known that he was being so stingy with his sister, and since the courts take ages to sort out these little matters, we should try that route first to save time.’
Miranda gaped at him. ‘Threaten Sebastian?’
‘Yes.’
‘I don’t think I can.’
‘Of course you can.’
But she knew she couldn’t.
Seven
The following morning Regina rang Miranda early. ‘Look, since I’m leaving tonight, how about coming out to lunch with Sebastian and me?’
‘We’ve got Lou’s niece coming around noon. Why don’t you pop in here for a coffee after your lunch? Just you.’
‘It’s better to stand up to him, you know, Min— I mean Miranda. Sorry, that just slipped out.’
‘Lou keeps telling me that I should stand up to him, but I’ve always preferred to avoid trouble. I’m doing my best to cope with the situation, truly I am.’
‘Well, you upset him again last night, so I reckon you’re lifting your game.’ Regina smiled at the memory of how angry he’d been when he put the phone down. ‘What did you say to him this time?’
‘I told him I was living here and that when I rented out the flat, I intended to keep the rent money.’
‘Good for you.’ She paused, frowning. ‘Why should you not keep the rent money?’
‘He says it should go back into the trust if I’ve found somewhere else to live.’
‘He was always careful with his money, but I don’t remember him being this bad before. I mean, that’s your money.’
‘I’ve always found him . . . difficult, but in recent years he’s encouraged Dad to count every penny too.’
‘I notice he doesn’t stint himself.’
They chatted for a little while longer then Regina put the phone down with a grimace. Poor old Miranda! She’d always been a softie. You had to wonder what a man like Lou Rayne saw in her. His name seemed vaguely familiar and she frowned as she tried to remember where she’d seen it before. She went to her laptop, intending to check him out on one of the search engines, but before she could switch it on, D
orothy tapped on her bedroom door.
‘Sebastian just rang to ask if we can go to lunch an hour earlier. There’s something he wants to do this afternoon.’
‘Fine with me.’
‘Good. I thought it would be. We’ll need to leave fairly soon though, because I have to drop some things off at the club on the way. I’m organizing the next speaker for them.’
With a sigh Regina closed the lid of her laptop and went to get ready. She’d never met anyone as busy as Dorothy. Charity activities, a prestigious women’s club, golf – one thing after another.
Was this to make Sebastian look good? Or to avoid thinking time?
‘Do you enjoy being on these committees and leading a hectic social life?’ she asked idly.
Dorothy shrugged. ‘It’s what women like me do. I make some good contacts for Sebastian.’
‘Don’t you have any hobbies of your own?’
‘I used to do needlepoint, but he doesn’t like me wasting my time on that sort of thing. It’s not as if I was a needlepoint artist or anything. It was just . . . relaxing.’
It was on the tip of Regina’s tongue to ask what was wrong with relaxing once in a while. She’d wondered more than once if her brother’s marriage was happy, but she’d not probed. It really wasn’t her business and she didn’t see the pair of them very often, thank goodness. After a week in her brother’s company, she’d decided this was an even better thing than she’d realized, though she’d not have let him boss her about as Dorothy and Miranda did, even if she lived here in Australia.
After their luncheon, which Sebastian let Regina pay for without even a token protest, he leaned back and asked in that patronizing tone she’d noticed him using towards women in recent years, ‘What are you two doing this afternoon? More shopping?’
‘I have a meeting,’ Dorothy said at once.
‘I’m going round to say goodbye to Miranda,’ Regina said.
He frowned at her for a moment or two then said grudgingly, ‘I’m going to see Minnie too, so I’ll drive you. My next appointment isn’t till four.’
Regina guessed then that this was the reason for the earlier meal.
She went to the ladies, intending to phone Minnie and warn her, but Dorothy came too and waited for her, so she didn’t like to.
Oh well, he couldn’t kill their sister, after all. And if Lou was there, he would no doubt protect Miranda from being bullied.
Lou’s niece wasn’t at all what Miranda had expected. Hilary was slim, beautifully dressed and radiated good health. But there was a lack of genuine warmth in her, for all her loving words to her uncle.
After greeting his niece, Lou beckoned Miranda across. ‘This is my partner, Miranda Fox.’
His niece gaped first at him, then at her. ‘Partner!’
‘Yes.’
‘But – how long has this been going on?’
‘Miranda and I have known one another for a while. When we met again, we decided not to waste the time I’ve got left but move in together straight away.’
Hilary nodded but made no attempt to do the kissy-kissy routine with Miranda. ‘Could I talk to you on your own, Uncle?’
‘Nope. I’ve got nothing to hide.’
Miranda would have preferred to leave, but if he wanted her to stay, she’d stick it out.
‘I was hoping you’d come to terms with your condition, not try to deny it like this, Uncle Louis. I’ve been speaking to my priest about you and he’d be happy to have a chat with you.’
‘I thought we’d agreed to disagree about religion. I shan’t change my lifetime beliefs just because I’m dying.’
‘You were born and raised a Catholic.’
‘But I shan’t die one. Leave it be, Hilary.’
Silence, then she scowled at Miranda. ‘Would you mind leaving us some privacy?’
Lou made a growling noise in his throat. ‘I’ll meet you on the patio in a few minutes, Miranda.’
After she’d left, Hilary said, ‘Your partner is just staying with you for the money.’
‘No. She’s definitely not. If there’s one thing I’m sure of in this uncertain world, it’s that Miranda isn’t a scheming sort. Do you think, after what I’ve done with my life, that I can’t judge character?’
For a moment the air between them fairly hummed, then she shrugged.
His voice softened. ‘Look, Hilary, Miranda makes me happy. Do you begrudge me that?’
‘If she does make you happy. I suppose you won’t need my help now.’
‘No. But I’m grateful that you stepped in when I wasn’t able to manage my own life, and I shan’t forget that, I promise you. I hope you’ll still continue to visit us. Now, come and see round the house. I’ve got my paintings unpacked and we’re going to choose where to have them hung.’ He rolled across to the French windows and beckoned to Miranda. ‘Come and join us for the grand tour of the house.’
Upstairs the two women stood together on the landing while Lou answered the phone in his office. He was talking about his plans for the room and gesticulating wildly, as usual, insisting that someone come and fix things the very next day.
Hilary said in a low voice, ‘If you hurt or upset him, I’ll make sure you regret it.’
‘I’d never do that,’ Miranda protested.
‘What’s more, if you really do care about him, you’ll persuade him to think of his immortal soul instead of objects and possessions like these.’
‘I care about him. But I also believe he’s more than capable of managing his own affairs. He’s a very intelligent man.’
The look Hilary gave her was like an engraving etched in acid. She left soon afterwards.
Lou muttered, ‘Thank goodness!’ as the door shut behind his niece. ‘She’s even worse than her mother, dominated by two obsessions.’
‘Oh?’
‘The church and good health rules. She’s such a food Nazi, she always makes me want to drink a bottle of brandy and gorge on doughnuts, and the latter are the sort of rubbish I’d never normally eat, though I do like a brandy.’
‘I think she does care about you, though.’
‘Does she? It’s happened a bit late is all I can say.’
Sebastian slowed down when his sister said, ‘There. It’s that house.’
He stopped the car completely at the entrance to the drive, which had a huge gate across it, and stared at the riverside mansion in shock. ‘Are you sure this is the right place?’
Regina tried to hide her amusement. ‘It was when I visited Miranda yesterday.’
‘I can’t think what that man sees in her. She’s stupid and colourless.’
‘She’s not stupid.’
‘Why does she never open her mouth, then?’
‘Because you and Father have never let her. If you were half as rude to me, I’d have tipped my wine glass over you.’
‘Rubbish. It’s exactly that sort of timidity that makes Minnie unable to cope with modern life. She’s an anachronism, not fit to be let loose. They should have kept her in sheltered housing when she left the mental hospital.’
She stared at him in amazement. ‘You’re being grossly unfair. She had one depressive illness – post-natal depression – and has been all right ever since. Why will you not let it go? And if she could manage Father all those years, she’s certainly fit to manage her own money and life – just as you and I do.’
He looked at her incredulously. ‘You saw what happened when she went to university. Someone took advantage of her and she got pregnant.’
Regina laughed. ‘Took advantage! You’re a dinosaur, Sebastian. She fell in love, as most young people do, and acted carelessly. And maybe if Dad hadn’t forced her to have the baby adopted, she’d not have got so depressed. She’s recovered completely now.’
‘I don’t think she has, and I know her better than you do. You can see what she’s like in company, hiding in corners, hardly saying a word.’
‘I’ve seen both you and Dad cut her short when sh
e’s tried to join in. I’ve heard you speak scornfully about her, not caring whether she can hear or not. I wouldn’t put up with it. She backs off and you complain. You complain even more loudly when she refuses to do what you want. She can’t win.’
‘Why are you taking her side, Regina? You don’t usually.’
‘Aren’t we all on the same side? She is our half-sister, after all.’
‘And that’s why I’m looking after her. Come on. Let’s get this over with.’ He drove slowly forward and pressed the button beside the gate, speaking into the intercom. ‘Sebastian Fox here. I’ve brought Regina to say goodbye to Minnie.’
‘Miranda is busy for the next few minutes. Come in and chat to me while you wait. The front door’s open. Go straight across the hall and turn right at the far end. I’m out on the patio.’
There was a loud click and the huge gate began to roll slowly sideways.
As he got out of the car Sebastian stopped again to stare at the house, feeling more than a little annoyed. Minnie! Living here. Where was the justice in that? She hadn’t lifted a finger to earn it, had been living off their father’s money for years. Why, even he couldn’t afford a place like this.
Regina led the way but he refused to be hurried. Once inside, he turned round slowly on the spot, taking in the spacious two-storey entrance hall with its magnificent chandelier.
‘Hurry up!’ She set off without him and reluctantly he followed.
Lou had parked his wheelchair next to a large swimming pool surrounded by beautifully landscaped gardens, which overlooked the River Swan where it widened out into Perth Water. Already this was his favourite spot to sit. He watched the two visitors walk across to him, noting Sebastian’s sour expression with amusement.
‘Take a seat on that wall. We’ve not got any outdoor furniture yet. I don’t think Miranda will be long.’ He waited till they were seated and turned to his female visitor, who seemed a lot friendlier than her sour-faced brother. ‘So you’re going back to England tonight, Regina. What time does your plane leave?’
‘Ten o’clock.’
‘Bad time, that.’
‘I don’t mind. I always sleep well on planes.’
They chatted politely for about ten minutes, then Lou saw movement inside the house: Miranda. She stopped dead at the sight of the visitors, one hand going up to her mouth in what was now a familiar gesture whenever she was upset or nervous about something.